The present invention relates to bullets, and in particular to bullets that can be effectively used to drop a target such as a large animal at a relatively short distance.
Diameter, weight, shape, propellant capacity, length and material are all parameters which determine the effective range, accuracy and stopping power of bullets. Based on these features, specific characteristics of flight, penetration depth, internal destruction, and exit properties can be controlled by modifying several or all of these parameters.
The projectile parameters define the inflight and impact characteristics of the projectile. The casing or cartridge provides the means to carry the charge that ultimately supplies the force necessary to propel the projectile to and into its intended target. The casing design also specifies the method of loading and unloading the cartridge from the firearm.
Projectile and casing designs have become very specific to meet the various needs of hunters, military, police, and personal defense market segments. Hunters may choose among these characteristics in order to select a bullet that fits their hunting approach.
In large game applications, specific designs have been fabricated to drop animals from a safe distance, usually above 100 yards to as far as 2000 yards, where an animal would not hear, see, or smell the hunter. To achieve this goal, increases in range and accuracy have been achieved by using smaller aerodynamically shaped projectiles having deformable characteristics on impact with the target. A small projectile with a small cross section has less frontal exposure to frictional forces. In addition, aerodynamic features, such as a pointed tip, smooth exterior and tapered body sections help to further reduce drag and maintain the inflight directional stability of the projectile. The casings used with these aerodynamic projectiles typically utilize banded, necked down or restricted openings. This forces the expanding gas through a smaller opening thereby increasing the velocity of the projectile and effectively increasing the range.
The characteristics that increase range, power and accuracy are useful in applications where the hunter is the aggressor, where stealth and anonymity are important.
In contrast to the aforementioned characteristics found in prior art large game hunting, the intent of this invention is to provide a bullet which is used for personal defense at close range. In this framework, the hunter is now a potential victim, and the animal has become a fierce aggressor. A bullet in this scenario is used to prevent personal loss of life against imminent acts of aggression, such as might be posed from a charging rhino or lion. The desired bullet would therefore have completely different properties from the aforementioned bullets, and be used at very close range when it can be determined that the threat is unavoidable. Aerodynamic modifications, such as those utilized for long range large game hunting, would not be employed. The small size, high speed and aerodynamic properties of prior art inventions would tend to cause the projectile to rapidly pass through a target at close range, thereby not inflicting the stopping power required to remove the threat. It is also likely that the bullet may incur damage to other than the intended target, because of the bullet's potential to travel a mile or more.
Bullets used in personal defense or other close range military applications utilize a different approach to bullet design. These bullets typically employ the use of materials other than lead in the construction of the projectile. They are typically made of several large projectiles or a multitude of smaller projectiles that either break into individual components on impact, or separate immediately upon firing. The increased surface area of the individual pellets slows the projectiles on impact and reduces the likelihood of substantially injuring other than the intended target.
Materials such as plastic, latex, or rubber have been used in riot control applications where the intent is to stop the forward motion of an aggressor, while limiting physical damage. The bullet does not penetrate the target but instead transfers energy and spreads or flattens at impact, thereby supplying a force capable of limiting motion.
Frangible bullets (U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,820) are another sector of the bullet design field used in personal defense applications. Frangible bullets are made of smaller components which break apart on impact, releasing the components, which then separate and spread causing widespread internal damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,994 discloses a round containing a multitude of individual pellets surrounded by fluid which are contained within a sealed enclosure. The projectile retains its shape during flight, but upon impact the individual pellets separate and rapidly transfer their energy to the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,628, HIGH IMPACT-LOW PENETRATION ROUND, discloses a round intended for close range (0-35 yards) applications. This anti-personnel shotgun round has three slugs, made of wax and lead. The slugs are arranged in one multi-part casing, made of a brass base joined with walls made of a synthetic transparent material. When fired, the shape and tumbling action of the slugs slows the projectiles, limiting their effective range while providing a high impact load.
The casings used with these bullets have a metallic base with a primer located in the center of the base. Casing walls are plastic and may be made from a sheet of material which is subsequently formed, or may be extruded, or created via a casting process. These casings are low cost and have been designed to enable, rapid manufacture using automated processes and are designed for low power applications using standard rifles or shotguns.
In order to provide the true stopping power required to halt a charging animal, a strong high capacity casing is required, having properties suitable for high pressure firing with little deformation.
The present invention relates to projectiles as used in large game hunting where a large slow projectile having non-aerodynamic form will be used to stop adversaries at very close range, maximizing immobility of target and minimizing potential danger to out of range bystanders. Aerodynamic qualities are not useful in close range applications. At close range, large size and high weight are critical factors that contribute to the stopping power of a projectile. What is desired therefore is an improved bullet and casing design, that provides the combination of characteristics necessary for close range, high impact, personal protection applications. The bullet and casing combination should provide the ability to stop or immobilize large game instantly on impact. The casing should be of high quality construction capable of working under the increased loads required to propel a large projectile. The projectile should have no aerodynamic enhancing properties and preferably should have range limiting properties to decrease the likelihood of danger to other than the intended target.